■ United States
Lawyers criticize detentions
The largest lawyer association in the US has condemned the government's handling of foreign detainees over the objections of members who called it a cheap shot at the White House. The American Bar Association (ABA) on Monday criticized what it called "a widespread pattern of abusive detention methods." Those abuses, it said, "feed terrorism by painting the United States as an arrogant nation above the law." The ABA was responding to abuse of Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad and concerns about the treatment of about 600 terrorism suspects being held in Cuba. Some lawyers complained that the nonpartisan group, with more than 400,000 members, was getting too political, especially as the presidential election nears.
■ United states
Iraq abuse hearings to begin
Pretrial hearings for four of the seven Army reservists charged with abusing Iraqi prisoners will be held later this month in Mannheim, Germany, the Army said Monday. Defense attorneys will argue at those hearings that their trials also should be held outside Iraq, said Guy Womack, the civilian attorney for Specialist Charles Graner Jr. Defense lawyers maintain it would be difficult for witnesses and families to attend trials in Baghdad, where most of the prison-abuse proceedings have been held. Womack said hearings for Graner and Specialist Megan Ambuhl will be held in a military courtroom in Mannheim Aug. 23.
■ United States
Rights violations ignored
Human Rights Watch on Monday accused the UN Security Council of disregarding human right violations committed by countries combating "terrorism." "Governments around the world are using the global campaign against terrorism to crack down on human rights," said Joanna Weschler, Human Rights Watch's UN advocacy director. "The UN Security Council has been conspicuously silent about this dangerous trend," Weschler added in a statement.
■ Germany
City protests continue
Thousands took to the streets of eastern German cities on Monday in a second week of protests against unpopular labor market reforms that are set to escalate ahead of regional elections next month. The rallies have drawn parallels with the "Monday demonstrations" that helped bring down the Berlin Wall in 1989 and test the government's resolve to implement its reforms as planned at the start of next year. In the city of Magdeburg, police said more than 10,000 protesters gathered, chanting, blowing whistles and waving banners reading "Schroeder must go!" and "Eichel laughs while children cry" -- referring to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Finance Minister Hans Eichel.
■ Zimbabwe
UK group blasts government
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's government was accused on Monday of a "widespread, systematic and planned campaign of organized violence and torture to suppress normal democratic activities." The British charity Redress, which helps torture survivors, gave documented examples of 8,871 human-rights violations from 2001 to last year to show that the incidents were concentrated in election periods, especially the March 2002 presidential elections. Its report quoted estimates that more than 200,000 Zimbabweans have been tortured in recent years.
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